


Castle Crime

by Mara_Jade101



Series: Kids No More [11]
Category: A to Z Mysteries - Ron Roy, Agatha Girl of Mystery - Sir Steve Stevenson
Genre: Best Friends, F/M, Feelings Realization, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, M/M, Missing Jewelry, Multi, Robbery, Slow To Update
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:35:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29778999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mara_Jade101/pseuds/Mara_Jade101
Summary: Look out, London!Dink Duncan, Josh Pinto, and Ruth Rose Hathaway are thrilled to see Big Ben, ride the London Eye, and tour Madame Tussauds’ wax museum. Then big news hits--someone has stolen Queen Elizabeth's jewels right outside Windsor Castle! The friends head to the castle to check for clues. But can three kids from Green Lawn and two kids from London find evidence that Scotland Yard has missed?
Relationships: Agatha Mistery & Dash Parker, Agatha Mistery/Dash Parker, Dink Duncan & Josh Pinto & Ruth Rose Hathaway, Dink Duncan & Josh Pinto & Ruth Rose Hathaway & Agatha Mistery & Dash Parker, Dink Duncan/Josh Pinto/Ruth Rose Hathaway
Series: Kids No More [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1889242
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1- Dink

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Libraryadia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Libraryadia/gifts).



**[June 22, 2024, 5:40 pm]**

“Watch the traffic.” Fritz Duncan warned 14-year-olds Dink Duncan, Josh Pinto, and Ruth Rose Hathaway as Dink bounced in place, waiting for the light to change. “And remember, people drive on the left here in England.”

“I thought it was Britain.” Josh said as he held onto Dink’s and Ruth Rose’s hands.

_‘Not that I mind, at all…’_

Dink shook himself out of his thoughts and rolled his eyes. “Josh, Britain is like the names of the states back home. There’s Connecticut inside of the United States.”

“So is England like the United States?” Ruth Rose asked.

Mr. Fritz hesitated, then shook his head. “Not at all culture-wise.”

Josh snickered and muttered something about tea before Ruth Rose elbowed him. The light changed and the group walked across the street, Dink finding himself stepping closer to Josh and Ruth Rose as they huddled together under her umbrella, since the boys, being idiots, had left theirs in the hotel.

Dink glanced at his phone, swiping aside the calendar notification saying that they only had until the end of this week before they went back to the US and mentally sighed. _‘Our first trip to Europe, and it’s not even a family vacation… Sure, when Dad asked us if we’d like to go with him to London for his conference, we immediately agreed, but this isn't what we expected…’_ he held out a hand to feel the literal weight of the rain pressing down on him and shivered. _‘I’m kinda hoping something crazy happens while we’re here, to be honest.’_

Dink waited for the other shoe to drop for about five seconds, then held back a groan. _‘I’ve probably jinxed this trip… as long as I don't say it out loud, we should be good-’_

“We’re here!” His dad said brightly, and Ruth Rose lifted the umbrella for the three to see Madame Tussauds’ wax museum. The building was long and grey.

“Hey, guys! It’s wet, just like the rest of London.” Josh joked softly.

Dink sputtered and started laughing with Josh and Ruth Rose. _‘Ever since we were younger, we’ve always been able to sense when each other has something we want to say… this is no different.’_

“So our tour guide,” Dink began, hoping to distract himself and his friends from his blushing. 

“Ian.” His dad confirmed. 

“Ian.” He repeated, shifting his legs nervously. “Will meet us at the first entrance, right?”

He nodded. “Right.”

“Hang on!” Ruth Rose said quickly. “Let me get a picture!” 

Ruth Rose was wearing all yellow today and Dink thought she looked really... nice. She pulled out a small green camera and pointed it at the sign. Josh grabbed Dink’s hand and pulled him into a hug with Josh’s arm draped across his neck. Dink blushed vividly before forcing the feelings down and giving the camera a bright smile. Josh just made one of his goofiest faces that Dink had ever seen and he burst out laughing. The camera clicked and Ruth Rose smiled brightly as she lowered the camera. “Got it!”

“How do I look?” Josh asked, crossing his eyes and sticking out his tongue. 

She giggled. “Like you’ve lost your mind.”

Dink grinned. “What mind?” He asked, giving Josh a small push.

Josh caught himself and grinned at him. “Be glad I know karate and that I haven't flipped you into a puddle.”

Ruth Rose giggled again as Dink’s dad approached them. “Come on, you three.” He said with a smile. “Let’s go inside. It’s starting to rain harder.”

“So who’s Madame Tussaud?” Josh asked as they followed Dink’s dad under the roof. 

Ruth Rose grinned widely as she pulled out her London guidebook she had bought while at the airport yesterday. “Well… her married name is Tussaud, but her birth name-”

“Given name.” Dink corrected.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “-is Anna Maria Groshotl. She was born in France in 1761 and learned how to make wax figures that looked like real people, then she opened a museum here in London.”

Josh’s eyes widened. “Wow… sounds sweet!”

She nodded and closed her guidebook, placing it back in her backpack as Dink’s dad turned to look at them. “You ready?” He asked.

They nodded and he rang the doorbell.


	2. Chapter 2- Josh

_ ‘You know that moment when you're stuck between a rock and a hard place? This moment, I can't stop swinging between the two!’ _

Josh smirked at his internal joke as the door opened. A tall, thin man with black eyeglasses and yellow tipped spiky black hair poked his head out at them, his name tag had  _ IAN _ written on it in black pen. 

“Hi!” He said, running a hand through his hair. “Are you the Duncans from the States?”

Mr. Fritz nodded. “Yes, we are. I’m Fritz, and this is my son Donald and his friends Josh and Ruth Rose.”

“Call me Dink.” Dink said quickly, holding out his hand. “It’s what everyone else calls me, anyway.”

Josh snorted. “You sound like Encyclopedia.” He whispered in his best friend’s ear. 

“I know.” Dink whispered back. “Shut up.”

“Great. Come on in.” Ian said, glancing at his watch.

“Sorry to get here so late.” Mr. Fritz apologized as he and the trio walked through the door. “I was at a conference, and we just got out a few minutes ago.”

“No problem.” Ian said, closing the door. “We still have twenty minutes before we close. And you can always come back tomorrow if you want.”

They walked into a lobby covered with pictures of famous people, with a giant chandelier hanging from the tall ceiling and a stack of bumper stickers with the words  _ Madame Tussaud  _ printed on it in bold black letters resting on the ticket counter nearby. Josh noticed Dink eyeing the bumper stickers and chuckled softly.  _ ‘Maybe he’ll buy one on the way out.’ _

A tall woman, whose name tag read  _ MANDY _ , dressed in a yellow sweatshirt with a picture of Madame Tussaud on the front and wearing pink lipstick and green eyeshadow walked over to the group. She was chewing gum and holding a cell phone, which she handed to Ian and said “For you.” with a pop of her gum.

Ian frowned and glanced at the group. “Will you excuse me?” He asked. “Mandy, will you take over?”

Mr. Fritz nodded and Ian walked away while Mandy approached them. Josh looked around the lobby, briefly noting the news playing on the small TV set up behind the counter and the newsman’s British accent as Ruth Rose asked “Are you a tour guide too?”

Mandy shook her head. “No, but I fill in sometimes. I work with the wax heads, making them look as life-like as possible.” She smiled. “I love using make-up!”

_ ‘Mandy doesn't sound like the newsman…’  _ Josh blinked at the TV again and glanced at Mandy. “Are you from here? Britain, I mean.”

She shook her head. “No, I’m from California.”

Dink grinned. “Cool! We know people from California.” He suddenly paused and frowned. “They haven't met any movie stars though.”

Josh rolled his eyes. “I’m pretty sure San Francisco is nowhere near Hollywood, Dink.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” He admitted.

“Probably?!?”

Mandy chuckled. “I worked in special effects at one of the movie studios. We turned actors into mermaids, aliens, even crazy animatronic robots!”

Josh gasped in pain as something sharp pressed against his temple, bringing his hands to his head as he heard his voice whisper-

**_‘-No… no, please!_ ** **_Please don't-_ ** **_’_ **

He shook his head quickly at the sudden dizziness that swept through his mind and rested his arms on the counter while laying his head on it and listening to Dink and Ruth Rose talking to Mandy about the movie effects before something on the news caught his attention.

_ “-is just in: the Queen of England is currently under special protection after she was robbed-” _

“Guys!” He hissed, spinning around to look at his friends. “Did you hear that?!?”

“Hear what?” Dink asked.

“The Queen of England was robbed!!!”

“WHAT?!?” Ruth Rose shrieked, clapping her hand to her mouth and blushing. “Sorry, I need to stop that.”

Mandy walked over to the TV and turned down the sound. “It happened yesterday, on her birthday.”

Ruth Rose blinked in surprise. “Ok, my friends here in England are going to kill me for not knowing this, but the Queen of England was born on June 21st?”

She shook her head. “No, she was born on April 21. In 1926, I think. But England celebrates her birthday twice, because of tradition. It’s usually on the second Saturday of June.”

“So what happened?” Dink asked, joining Josh at the counter.

“The Queen was driving to Windsor Castle for her birthday party.” Mandy said. “She had brought some of her favorite jewels with her. When she stopped the car, one of the robbers reached in and took the jewel case.”


	3. Chapter 3- Ruth Rose

_‘Why would the Queen of England have her favorite jewels in a normal jewel case in view of the window? Where were her guards?’_ Ruth Rose thought as she processed the information before she blinked. “Wait. Why’d she stop in the first place?”

“The robbers were dressed as her grandsons, Prince William and Prince Harry.” Mandy explained. “They were wearing life-like rubber masks. William and Harry are in the military, so they wore military uniforms like theirs. I guess she must have thought they were her actual grandsons, so she stopped the car and rolled down the window.”

Josh blinked. “Wow!” He said, glancing at Ruth Rose as she joined him at the counter. “So did the guards catch the guys and recover the jewels?”

Mandy shook her head. “No.”

“Wait…” Dink said slowly. “Where’s Windsor Castle? Ruth Rose mentioned that the Queen lives in Buckingham Palace.”

She nodded and looked at Mandy. “Yes, you’re right. But Windsor Castle is only a short drive away and the Queen likes to go there some weekends. Her husband and Prince Charles were there too, planning her party. Even her grandsons and their families showed up in secret to surprise her.”

Dink shook his head. “Now I’m confused. So the robbers were dressed up like her grandsons. Where were the real ones, in Windsor Castle?”

Mandy blinked, clearly taken back. “Yes, they were. But the Queen didn't know that, of course. So when she saw the two soldiers outside the castle grounds, she thought they were her grandsons. When she stopped, they snatched the jewels.”

“Did the guards just not go after the robbers?” Josh asked, crossing his arms. “Because they did directly go after the Queen of England in broad daylight.”

Dink frowned. “Josh, the guards’ main duty is to protect the Queen. I’m pretty sure that’s for Scotland Yard or Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” At Mandy’s incredulous expression, he blushed. “I watched James Bond’s _‘Skyfall’_ at home once and thought it was cool.”

“Yeah, I get that part, but how did the robbers know the Queen would be driving to Windsor Castle yesterday?” Josh pointed out. “And how did they know that she would have the jewels with her?”

Ruth Rose frowned. _‘Josh is right… how_ _did_ _they know?’_

Mandy shrugged and turned off the TV. “I guess we’ll never know.”

Dink snapped his fingers as something occurred to him. “One last question, we swear.”

Mandy turned around and he sighed. “What did the Queen do after she was robbed?”

Ruth Rose finally realized that her eyes were wide as Mandy answered “She drove to the Castle and called Scotland Yard.”


	4. Chapter 4- Dink

With that, Mandy walked toward a pair of black curtains and turned around again. “Are you still coming or…?”

Dink blinked and nodded. “Yeah, we’re coming. Right, Dad?”

His dad nodded as he walked over to them. “Yes, we are.”

They passed through the black curtains and Dink nearly jumped out of his skin at the roomful of people on the other side. Only they weren’t real people, now that he was adjusted to the fact that they were in a wax museum-

“Oh my God, it’s Johnny Depp!” Josh shouted.

Dink winced at his best friend’s yell and rubbed his ears. “Josh, not so loud, please!”

“Sorry.” He said before pointing at another wax statue. “And there’s John Wayne!” He said in a lower, but still loud voice.

“And Kate Winslet!” Ruth Rose exclaimed.

“Nerd.” Josh coughed.

Ruth Rose rolled her eyes and made a face at him before asking Mandy “Are they all made of wax?”

She nodded. “Well, kinda. The heads are sculpted from wax, but not the bodies.” She tapped on a wax statue of Babe Ruth as Dink noticed that it sounded like plastic. “Long ago, Madame Tussaud used wax for the bodies as well. But wax melts and shrinks, so now we make the bodies out of fiberglass.”

_ ‘Not plastic, then.’ _ Dink thought as he walked over to a blond woman’s statue, briefly hearing his dad ask how much time it took to make these and Josh asking something about the hair as he looked at the statue’s jeweled necklace. 

“That’s Marilyn Monroe, isn't it?” Ruth Rose asked. “Are her diamonds real?”

Mandy shook her head. “Nope. All of the jewelry in this museum is fake.”

She led the group through another pair of black curtains- 

_ ‘which is really bothering me for some reason. I mean, black curtains in a grey building? Seriously, come on. I may know nothing about fashion, but those colors are just downright depressing.’ _

-into a room with velvet walls, fancy furniture, and soft yellow lighting from electric candles on the walls and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Dink glanced around the room and recognized a few faces, both from history class and time spent with KC, Marshall, and Malia. Former Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and Boris Johnson stood under the British flag, while their current President Zachary Thornton stood under America’s flag. He started counting to himself and blinked in surprise.  _ ‘Wow, there’s more than forty world leaders in this room, both from our past and present!’ _

His dad came up behind him and laid a hand on his shoulder. Dink smiled softly and glanced up at his dad. “It's almost time to go, isn't it?”

“We only have ten more minutes until it closes… so we can stay until then.” His dad said quietly.

“Your  _ ‘London Pass’ _ allows you to come back as often as you want!” Mandy called from yet another pair of black curtains. “However, I think you kids would love to see this…”

The trio glanced at each other, shrugged, and followed her through the curtains into a room similar to the one from before, but this time, the statues were marked off by a red velvet rope. Dink swallowed nervously and took Josh’s and Ruth Rose’s hands, signing into them  _ “Do I bow or not?” _

Ruth Rose shrugged as she looked at the statues.  _ “I don't know?” _

He nodded and looked at the statues of Queen Elizabeth and her family. The Queen was standing next to her red and golden chair, surrounded by her husband Prince Phillip, their son Prince Charles, her grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry, their respective wives Duchess Kate and Duchess Megan, and her great-grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Archie. 

“Wow.” He said softly. “They all look so real!”

Mandy smiled. “Yes… on another note, Prince William and Prince Harry came in not too long ago to have their pictures taken with their wax figures. We could hardly tell them apart!”

Dink nodded and glanced back at the statues again. Ruth Rose suddenly smiled and elbowed him. “Guys, even the fake diamonds look real!”

The Queen’s statue wore a diamond tiara and a diamond necklace and Mandy started chuckling. “Yes, they were specifically made to look identical to the Queen’s own jewels.” She said. “In fact, it was her tiara and necklace that were stolen yesterday.”

Josh nodded. “It almost seems like they could get up and walk around. How’d you make the eyes look so real?”

Mandy looked at her watch. “I can show you, but not today.”

As they passed through the black curtains again, Dink noticed Josh eyeing a tall bearded man in a baseball cap standing near a statue of Albert Einstein, holding a sketch pad and a pencil in his hands. 

“I should have brought my sketching stuff.” Josh grumbled. “But no, it was raining!”

Dink grinned at him. “Hey, at least Ruth Rose took pictures so you can copy off of her.”

“The real thing is way better.” He retorted, then turned red. “Besides… I’d rather just hang out with you guys than lose myself in my own drawings.”

Dink found his cheeks burning as he smiled at his best friend, nothing more. “Me too, Josh. Me too.”


	5. Chapter 5- Josh

Josh flushed red as Dink looked away from him.  _ ‘Did he just… admit to…? No, Josh. Don't get your hopes up yet.’ _

Mandy quickly walked over to the man sketching on his pad. “Sorry sir, but we’re closing in a few minutes.”

The man nodded, closed his pad, and strolled toward the exit. As Mandy led the group out, Ruth Rose peered into an open doorway. “Hey, is this where the extra clothes are kept?”

“Yep.” Mandy said. “Want a quick peek?”

They nodded and Josh watched Mr. Fritz tap his son’s shoulder. “I’ll be outside at the lobby, Dink.”

“Ok, Dad.” Dink said with a nod before racing over to where Josh and Ruth Rose were waiting for him.

Mandy led the kids into a large room with a soft brown carpet on the floor, filled with racks of clothing, shelves of beards and wigs, and jars of… eyeballs?

Ruth Rose made a face at the jar nearest her. “That’s just gross.”

Josh grinned at her. “Don't worry, my flower! Dink and I will protect you from the dangerous otherworldly eyeballs!”

She snapped her wide eyes to his as he broke into laughter. Dink grinned at them as a short, grey-haired woman looked up from fixing a pink ball gown nearby. She blinked at the three before sighing and going back to her work. Josh looked around the room before noticing a small desk with a bulletin board on the wall above it. He recognized Mandy sitting next to a smiling man as well as her hugging a Pomeranian with ocean water visible in the background. 

Josh shook his head at the Pomeranian. His mom, Cassidy, had told him a story about her childhood when she and Mrs. Susie, Dink’s mom, had owned dogs of their own. Mrs. Susie had a Golden Retreiver named Scott, after her brother, while Cassidy had a Pomeranian. His mom had laughed when she told him and his brothers that the Pomeranian’s name was Precious and she  _ “was anything but.” _

_ “What happened to the dogs?” A younger Bradley had asked. _

_ His mom sighed sadly. “Precious died of old age. Scott- the dog, that is- was hit by a-” _

“Josh?” 

He blinked at Mandy, the woman now standing by the door. “Are you coming?”

He nodded slowly, faintly noticing Dink struggling to blink back the sudden tears that had formed in his eyes. 

“Yeah, we’re coming.” Ruth Rose said quietly from his right.

Josh shivered at the despair that had suddenly appeared on hers, Dink’s, and his own faces. He rubbed his eyes as he shook his head.  _ ‘Everything’s fine, Josh. It’s not like-’ _

The group heard a soft bell chime echo through the museum.

“Six o’clock, closing time.” Mandy said.

XXX

It was still raining when they left the museum and when they arrived at the “Welcome Home” hotel. As they walked into the lobby, Mr. Fritz rubbed Dink’s hair as the latter looked up at him. “Dad, don't you have to go back to your conference?”

He shook his head. “No, not tonight. Besides, you kids look hungry.”

“I'm always hungry.” Josh joked, causing Dink and Ruth Rose to burst into giggles. He smiled brightly before Damon Fox, the tall, red-haired hotel manager, looked up from the hotel counter. 

“How was the museum?” Damon asked with a smile. “I assume Ian took good care of you.”

“You know him?” Dink asked, taking off his raincoat.

“He’s my cousin.” Damon explained.

“We saw all these amazing people.” Josh interjected. “Hey… Has anyone told you ever told you that you look like Prince Harry?”

Damon blushed. “Yes, I’ve heard that quite a few times.”

Josh nodded and watched as Ruth Rose snatched a newspaper off of the counter before the four made their way to the stairs, letting the doors close behind them.

“Hey! Maybe after dinner, we could do a Jack the Ripper tour!” Dink suggested.

“NO!” His dad said strongly, before he winced as the three stared at him in confusion. “I mean… I don't want you kids having that knowledge in your head.”

Dink frowned, but nodded. “Okay, Dad. It was just a suggestion anyway.”

“Thank you.” Mr. Fritz said, clearly relieved. “Now come on. Let’s get upstairs.”


	6. Chapter 6- Ruth Rose

Try as she might, Ruth Rose could not get to sleep by the time the boys were finally done with their showers. There was too much on her mind. 

She sighed as she grabbed a pillow, flopped on the floor, and turned on the TV. A weather woman-  _ ‘Haha, puns.’ _ \- was talking about the rain. 

“Rain yesterday, rain today, and more rain tonight.” She said with a smile. “Typical June weather in England!”

Ruth Rose sighed and muted the TV as it turned to other news, something about the last of a set of Newgate Prison criminals being caught as Dink rested on his bed with his face covered by the newspaper. She snickered to herself.  _ ‘Honestly, Dink… you and I both know you’re not asleep.’ _

“Penny for your thoughts?” Josh teased as he sat down on the boys' bed next to her.

Ruth Rose shrugged and swung her feet against the bed. “Nothing, really…”

The newspaper crinkled as Dink moved it off of his face. “Ruth Rose, I thought we agreed not to lie to each other.”

She nodded again and sighed. “I'm just thinking…” she grabbed the newspaper, ignoring Dink’s surprised yelp and flattened it out on her lap. “Look. Here’s a story about the Queen’s jewelry.”

**_A Royal Mystery!_ **

**_[A/N: The website I’m using won't allow me to see the newspaper, so I’ll come back and put it in later.]_ **

Ruth Rose glanced at her friends. “What if  _ we _ solve the case?”

Dink choked on air. “You’re kidding.”

“I'm serious.”

“Ruth, you know that this mystery will have completely different rules here. We’re not just going after any set of stolen jewels… we’re going after the jewels of the FREAKING QUEEN OF ENGLAND!!!”

She nodded. “I know. Just- hear me out. There’s a reward for ten thousand British pounds, right? In US terms, that’s about fifteen thousand dollars.”

Josh’s eyes widened. “Holy- that means if  _ we _ solve the case, we each get FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!”

“Don’t go spending that money yet.” Dink said, throwing his pillow at Josh, who caught it. “If Scotland Yard can’t find these guys, then three eighth graders can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because it's SCOTLAND FREAKING YARD, Joshua!!! Aka the POLICE OF ENGLAND!!! The ones who are solving cases daily in the blink of an eye!!! I don't know about you, but I don't think they’d like a group of kids helping them solve their mysteries. And we’re Americans, too! There’s this whole ‘England pride’ vs ‘American pride’ that’s been going on for CENTURIES!!!”

“Have you been listening to the political ads again?”

“Not my fault they air EVERYWHERE I TURN.” He fired back, crossing his arms. 

Ruth Rose frowned at him. “Dink, what’s your point?”

He sighed. “My point is this: I’d love to do it. I’d love to solve another case with you guys, it’s what we do! But there’s the factors of us being in a completely different country with no idea of the laws and way of life. How are we supposed to solve the case when we stand out like a group of sore thumbs?”

Josh snapped his fingers. “Dude, quit being such a downer.”

“Okay, Owen.”

He rolled his eyes and continued “We’ll use that to our advantage. You’ve seen  _ James Bond _ and how he fought off the criminals while undercover. We could just be tourists while solving the case.”

Dink nodded slowly. “I guess you’re right… If we can somehow manage to avoid both Scotland Yard and the police while we’re at it…”

“Which means we’re going to have to avoid your dad.” Ruth Rose said quietly. “If he finds out we’re solving the case, he could take us off of it when we’re just about to figure it out.”

Dink nodded again, rubbing his eyes tiredly as Josh yawned. 

“Ok.” Dink said finally. “I'm with you guys. Right now, let’s get some sleep. We’ll make our decision in the morning.”

Ruth Rose nodded and hopped off the bed, sliding into the one next to theirs and curling up under the covers, keeping an eye on her best friends.  _ ‘Dink, I understand you're nervous about getting in trouble, I really do. But look at it this way: if we solve the case, the only trouble we’ll get into is with your dad for not telling him about this…’ _

She blinked and frowned at herself.  _ ‘What am I saying?!? Dink’s right, we should consider both the good and the bad sides of this.’ _ She sighed.  _ ‘We’ll talk about it again in the morning. Then we will actually know what the hell we’re getting into.’ _

Ruth Rose closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep, but her dreams were filled with moving and  _ melting wax statues, their purple wax dripping onto a floor covered in shattered jewel pieces as she, Dink, and Josh danced together in a gorgeous castle ballroom under a swaying chandelier, its candles burning with rainbow fire. Ruth Rose looked at her friends to see them smile at her, Dink tucking one of her curls behind her ear.  _

_ “Do you trust us?” He asked softly, looking visibly lovestruck. _

_ “Absolutely.” She whispered, letting Josh take off her black and gold jacket, revealing the beautiful short sleeve green dress underneath and a multicolored magnifying glass-shaped mark on her upper right arm. _

_ They started dancing again, this time the faint background classical music picked up in speed as the three spun around, faster, faster, faster as she threw her head back and laughed as loud as she could. _

_ She was free. _

_ Finally. _

_ Fully. _

_ Free. _

_ Pain burst in her feet, the diamond pieces cutting into her skin as she looked up from her friends’ confused, worried, then terrified faces to see the chandelier’s chain break and come crashing down- _


	7. Chapter 7- Dink

**[June 23, 2024. 9:00 am.]**

Dink waved goodbye at his dad as he walked out of the hotel lobby before turning to Josh and Ruth Rose, the former of the two eating pancakes while the latter took a quick drink of her orange juice. “You guys ready?” He asked.

Ruth Rose nodded and set down her glass. “Dink, about last night-”

Dink held up his hand. “It’s fine, Ruth Rose. There’s nothing to be sorry for. I was just pointing out where things could go wrong-.”

She nodded again. “I know, Dink, and I was thinking about what you said, and you're right. We should look at both sides of the mystery, not just the good part of it.”

Dink smiled at her and rubbed her shoulder. “I still don't think that you should be sorry for anything.”

Ruth Rose smiled at him. “Thanks, Dink.”

Josh finished the pancake he was eating and looked at them. “So are we still solving the mystery?”

“YES!” They both said in unison and the three broke into laughter, Dink smiling at Ruth Rose. _‘I’m glad to know that she’s doing good. I just wanted to explain my train of thought, not derail us from the mystery…’_

Ruth Rose calmed down and grinned at him. “Ok. So what do we know?”

Josh moved his seat closer to theirs as Dink took out his notebook and wrote on the paper he had vaguely scribbled on last night. 

“One.” Dink said, holding up five fingers and ignoring Josh’s snicker. “The Queen left Buckingham Palace with her jewels, aka the diamond tiara and the diamond necklace. Two, she and her guards drove to Windsor Castle. Three, she saw two people who she thought were her grandsons standing in the rain.”

“Except they weren't really her grandsons.” Josh put in.

Dink nodded as he wrote that down. “Four, she stopped the car and rolled down her window. Five, one of the robbers reached in and grabbed her jewel case.”

“And six, her dog bit the robber.” Josh added.

“And seven, the Queen saw some letters on a bumper sticker.” Ruth Rose added, holding the newspaper in her hand. “U-A-S-S and E-M-A-D. Eight letters… could they be words?”

Josh grinned. “Yeah, in some other language.”

Dink jotted that idea down and frowned. “So that’s all we know right now. What should we do next?”

He shrugged. “Look around London? I mean- didn't we talk about us pretending to be tourists while searching for clues?”

“That was last night.” Ruth Rose said. “Even though we could probably do it… what do you think, Dink?”

Dink stared at his notebook for a few moments, then grinned at Josh and Ruth Rose. “Hey, guys. Wanna go sightseeing?”

Josh let out a whoop and grabbed his glass. “Finally! Let’s get going already!”

“Just let me get my camera first.” Ruth Rose said, laughing.

XXX

**[2 hours later…]**

The three walked on the sidewalk of the London Bridge, quietly talking about the case. Josh suggested that it could have been someone inside Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle, and while they agreed with him, they simply had no evidence pointing to anything. 

Or anyone.

Dink suddenly grinned wildly. Pulling out his phone, he accessed the Kid Detectives Network, going straight to his camera option and gesturing for Josh and Ruth Rose to join him. As soon as he felt their hands brush against his back, he blushed and started recording. 

_“Hey, guys!”_ He said with a bright smile, waving his free hand as he held his phone in his hand. _“So, I don't know if you all can see this, but we are currently in London-”_ he lifted the phone up to show the three of them leaning against the wall of the London Bridge. _“-kinda on vacation, kinda not. My dad’s at a conference right now, and we’re just walking around London.”_

Dink quickly held up his hand. _“Now, I know you guys are probably freaking out over the fact that we’re touring London alone, but we can handle it. I’ve got my dad on speed dial, the Network’s emergency alert, plus we have Ruth Rose’s screaming.”_

Ruth Rose playfully glared at him as Josh snickered in the background. Dink gave her a wide grin and turned back to the camera. _“We miss you guys though, and we’ll talk to you later!”_

 _“Bye!”_ They chorused and Dink stopped recording, briefly shaking his head at the twins’ joking around before sending the video to the main chat and closing the app. They had just started walking when Dink’s phone decided to light up like fireworks and Josh started cackling.

“What’s up?”

“Kay’s mad at you.”

“Well, she can deal with it.”

Dink’s phone buzzed again and he clicked it on to see-

 **Agatha:** _STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!!! DASH AND I CAN SEE YOU!!!_

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone! Mara Jade here, and this is the first of what Libraryadia and I like to call the "Collab Cases". It's basically a mystery-solving collaboration between the Kid Detectives, with the Kid Detectives the A to Z trio are working with depending on where they are in the world.  
> This is not a collaboration between myself and Libraryadia, they're allowing me to write the rewrites while they come up with more original mysteries.  
> And this is not an original case! This is a rewrite of the A to Z Mysteries book: "The Castle Crime" by Ron Roy, rewritten to include the Kid Detectives no matter where they are.
> 
> With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy and stay tuned for more!
> 
> <3~Mara Jade


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